So, the 2014-2015 winter was unusually brutal and lengthy in DC this year which means I spent zero days on the water with the team following a single session in late November. This said, I spent nearly the entire winter on the erg with the team (the Potomac didn’t melt off until early March) and changed my erg technique from poor to decent (still not super efficient but good enough to avoid injury). I placed 3rd at mid-Atlantic Erg-Sprints with a 6:04 2K time and then hit a 6:01 2K in March. I was reaching hard to go sub-6 minutes, but faded in the last part of the piece. I am close, but not there yet.

My weight has seem some fluctuation from my 227lb low in November, well mostly it’s just been higher. Not having the opportunity to be on the water, took the wind out of my weight-loss sails. I’ve spent most of the last 3 months in the 240lb range. I’m now in the process of rapid descent back below 230lbs (shooting to hit 220lbs as I’ll need to maintain 220-230lbs for the next 18 months to make my Olympic goal a reality).

I had the opportunity in March to get three on-water sessions while in Hawaii courtesy of the Honolulu Rowing Association. It was nice to be out there, but I was mostly clueless on how to progress to elite technique.

I had my first days on the Potomac last week (Thurs-Sat). Paul Guthrie (a former assistant coach for Open Sculling) and Reilly Dampeer (the head coach for Open Sculling) took me out, and began what will likely be a long journey of guiding me from my complete novice level to an elite level. These coaches are elite coaches and have little experience (or more likely no experience) coaching a novice. This will be a tough journey, and I’ve decided to start a YouTube channel to document the experience. Stay tuned, I’ll be posting videos shortly.